High school prom may have started off as an American tradition, but now, it’s spread across the globe. In Uganda, proms are often a super lavish event, with couples flying in on helicopters or pulling up in expensive cars, before doing multiple outfit changes through the night. But the government says it’s gone too far — and it’s brought in new rules to curb the celebrations. Uganda’s Ministry of Education has banned what it calls “indecent dressing” and has even introduced a 6PM curfew, arguing that extravagant prom parties put unnecessary financial pressure on parents.

Gloria Achieng, a BBC reporter in Kenya, tells us more about Uganda’s prom culture and what these new rules mean for students. We hear from young people across Uganda, who share their thoughts on the ban with us. And we find out which member of the What in the World team is prom royalty. And how did prom culture start in America?

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Producers: Chelsea Coates, Emily Horler and Mora Morrison Editor: Verity Wilde

The Pyramids of Giza are among Egypt's most famous landmarks. The Great Pyramid is made up of 2.3 million stone blocks, weighing five million tonnes in total. For centuries no one has known precisely how they were built, or how the stones were transported.

Using radar satellite imagery, historical maps and geophysical surveys, a research team has mapped a long-lost, ancient branch of the River Nile - which they believe was buried by a major drought and sandstorms thousands of years ago. They think this waterway was used for the transportation of heavier blocks, equipment and people and finally explains how the Pyramids were constructed. So is this mystery finally wrapped up?

Rehab Ismail, a BBC journalist in Cairo, describes what it’s like to visit the Pyramids of Giza and explains what the Egyptian authorities are doing to preserve the area from over-tourism. Egyptologist Yossra Ibrahim tells us which mysteries have been solved and which still remain.

Archive courtesy of British Pathé.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: William Lee Adams Producers: Baldeep Chahal, Julia Ross-Roy and Abiona Boja Video Journalist: Baldeep Chahal Editor: Verity Wilde

In South Korea, what presidential candidates are wearing is a hot topic.

People use fashion to express themselves. Many of us think carefully about what we put on and how others will view our outfits, whether we choose an iconic hat or a monochrome look. But for politicians and their spouses, every look is carefully calculated to send a specific message.

South Korea is having a snap election which means that image consultants are quietly shaping the new public faces of leadership, from tie colours to jumpers to hairstyles. Yoon Suk Yeol was removed from office for putting the country under martial law for six hours in December. Polls have placed Lee Jae-myung of the main opposition Democratic Party as the frontrunner among six candidates, followed by Kim Moon-soo from the ruling PPP.

We chat with Rachel Lee from our team in Seoul - she’s been speaking to some of those image consultants about what they do. Also, Stacy Wasiche, a fashion blogger from Kenya, runs us through the latest political fashion trends and how it’s different depending on what country you look at.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Producers: Mora Morrison and Emily Horler Editor: Harriet Oliver

From Taylor Swift to Michael Jackson, there’s been countless superstar musicians who have called out their record labels for how much they’re being paid for their music. For musicians at the start of their careers it can be even more challenging to make money. The emergence of streaming sites like Spotify has made understanding publishing a bit more complicated. So how does it all really work?

BBC Newsbeat reporter Riyah Collins talks us through how musicians make their money - from royalties, touring and streaming. Mary Spender, a singer-songwriter here in the U.K. shares her experience with earning money from her music.

Plus we also hear from Kenyan TV host, KenRelBis, who’s launched a free music distribution platform to help local artists.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Iqra Farooq Producers: Emily Horler and Maria Clara Montoya Video Journalist: Baldeep Chahal Editor: Verity Wilde

US president Donald Trump has claimed that white farmers in South Africa are being executed en masse. But this is simply not true.

South Africa's President Cyril Ramaphosa and his delegation went to Washington last week hoping for a boost and a reset after months of bitterness with the Donald Trump administration. Instead they got brutal, high-stakes diplomacy, peppered with insults, which played out to millions across the world in real time. This included Trump showing a video which supposedly proved ‘genocide’ was taking place against white farmers.

BBC journalist Nomsa Maseko breaks down where this false claim came from, how people in South Africa have responded to it, and what impact it could have on the future of relations between the two countries. We also hear why some white Afrikaners are taking up the offer of refugee status in the US.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: William Lee Adams Producers: Mora Morrison and Emilia Jansson Editor: Verity Wilde

After cutting off the supply of aid to Gaza for more than two months, Israeli officials have allowed some trucks to enter. But despite over a hundred aid trucks carrying essential products like flour and baby food into Gaza, the United Nations says it’s only a “drop in the ocean”. There have also been significant delays to distributing the aid, lasting days in some cases.

The UN estimates that one in five Gazans face starvation and that an average of 600 trucks a day are needed to start tackling the humanitarian crisis there.

From Jerusalem, the BBC’s Middle East Correspondent Yolande Knell explains why Israel has started to allow aid into Gaza and how much has got through so far. We hear what it’s like in Gaza right now and aid workers from Médecins Sans Frontières and the International Committee of the Red Cross tell us about the challenges they are facing when distributing aid to Palestinians on the ground.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: William Lee Adams Producers: Julia Ross-Roy, Chelsea Coates and Emily Horler Editor: Verity Wilde

If so, President Trump thinks you’re a “stupid person“.

The royal family of Qatar wants to gift America a private jet. Critics say the gift is essentially a bribe to give Qatar influence with the U.S. And they’ve pointed out that, during his first term, President Trump accused Qatar of funding terror groups. On 21st April, it was formally announced that the US Defence Secretary had accepted the plane. BBC reporter, Nathalie Jimenez breaks it all down for us.

It also got us thinking, what are the rules surrounding gift giving to politicians in other countries around the world? We’ll hear from five BBC reporters about what the rules are like in the countries they report on.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: William Lee Adams Producers: Emily Horler and Benita Barden Video Journalist: Baldeep Chahal Editor: Julia Ross-Roy

One of the biggest unions in the world representing a diverse range of creative professionals, including actors and voice artists, has filed a complaint against the makers of the video game Fortnite over its Darth Vader character. Epic Games used generative AI to recreate the voice of the Star Wars villain, after the late actor who played him in the film franchise signed over the rights in 2022. But Sag-Aftra says the gaming company should have negotiated with them first - and is worried the rise in AI could lead to job losses.

BBC tech reporter Liv McMahon tells us more about the row between the union and Epic Games and explains why the growing use of generative AI is being met with backlash in the entertainment industry. We also hear from Larry Cutler, the co-founder of Baobab Studios, a multiple Emmy-award-winning animation studio that has worked on games like Roblox and Fortnite, to find out how voice cloning technology works.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: William Lee Adams Producers: Mora Morrison and Chelsea Coates Editor: Verity Wilde

Skin-lightening is a multi-billion-dollar industry and impacts many women, and men, around the world. Within the African context, women in Nigeria use skin-whitening products the most: according to the World Health Organization 77% of women use them regularly. The situation is so bad that Nigeria's National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (Nafdac) declared a state of emergency in 2023.

The BBC’s Madina Maishanu has been speaking to a mother who has used skin-whitening products on all six of her children. Madina shares her story, and talks us through the cultural context of why people use these products. We also hear from aesthetician Zainab Bashir about the risks involved with skin-bleaching.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Iqra Farooq Producers: Mora Morrison, Maria Clara Montoya and Elena Angelides Video Journalist: Baldeep Chahal Editor: Verity Wilde

Hundreds of thousands of students in Nigeria have been told they can retake their JAMB university entrance exam. That’s after nearly 80 per cent of them failed the test in March amid power cuts and computer glitches during the exams. The low pass rate sparked a national outcry, especially after the Minister of Education initially claimed it was caused by students cheating. The Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board has now apologised - but what does the incident say about Nigeria’s digital infrastructure?

The BBC’s Madina Maishanu explains what caused the technical issues, and why the exam board has now decided to allow retakes. We also hear from students across Nigeria about the impact the glitches have had on their hopes of getting into university.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Producers: William Lee Adams, Chelsea Coates and Julia Ross-Roy Editor: Verity Wilde

You might have seen videos on TikTok of guys with shaved heads and black sweatbands walking round Turkish airports, or sitting on planes on the way home. Turkey is becoming one of the most popular destinations to get a hair transplant. Turkish officials estimate the hair transplant market was worth $1billion in 2024. People travel there from all around the world, but especially the US and Europe, because it’s so much cheaper than getting it done in their home country.

Christopher Mizzoni, 22 (@chrishairjourney), travelled to Turkey in 2024 to get the first of two planned hair transplants. He explains what it was like and what difference it’s made to him. Özge Özdemir from BBC Turkish explains why prices are so much lower in Turkey than other countries and sets out some concerns about the industry.

And Chris D’Souza, a hair transplant surgeon and President of the British Association of Hair Restoration Surgery tells us what the procedure involves.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 0330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Producers: Julia Ross-Roy, Mora Morrison and Emilia Jansson Video Journalist: Baldeep Chahal Editor: Verity Wilde

More and more people are using snus. Maybe you’ve noticed this where you live: people walking around with circular plastic tubs in their pockets and slipping small white parcels into their gums? There are two types: brown snus and white snus. Brown snus has been around for a while, and contains tobacco, whereas white snus is newer and tobacco-free; it’s a nicotine pouch. Some of the biggest brands are Zyn, Velo and On! and they’re made by the big tobacco companies.

White snus is a booming market with “Zynfluencers” promoting it on social media. But it’s not only young people who are into it. According to one study in England, almost one in five professional male football players are using snus too.

BBC Health reporter Elena Bailey talks us through snus’s health impacts. Sweden has particularly high snus use among teenagers. According to Swedish government data, 27% of 15-year-old girls and 31% of 15-year-old boys have used it. Swedish radio journalist Matilda Skarehag explains why it’s so popular there. We also hear from Fanna Ndow Norrby who got addicted to snus.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld Email: [email protected] WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6 Presenter: Hannah Gelbart Producers: Julia Ross-Roy and Mora Morrison Video Journalist: Baldeep Chahal Editor: Verity Wilde